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Cthulhu

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The cute octopod in question is a tiny cephalopod found earlier this year in the Hawaiian archipelago, one that is likely an undescribed, new species.

In the new study, scientists have found that the creature tends to populate areas of manganese crust that are rich in the kinds of metals used in the manufacture of consumer electronics. The animals deposit their eggs among dead sponges in such areas. And, as they live at depths that can exceed 13,000 feet (4,000 meters), the water is so cold that eggs likely take years to hatch.

With such desirable metals located right where it likes to breed, then, the octopus could be in trouble.

"The brooding [location] is important as these sponges only grow in some areas on small, hard nodules or rocky crusts of interest to mining companies because of the metal they contain," said study lead Autun Purser, of the Alfred Wegener Institute, in a statement. "The removal of these nodules may therefore put the life cycle of these octopods at risk."
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Cthulhu

I am not sure how to look at this one. If we did not use our resources we would still be living in caves and not sitting here sharing information. However, we have come far enough to understand that what we do has other impacts and need to do a better job of how we go about harvesting our resources to retain sustainability of what we impact. This is easier said than done. Here, we expect our major population to have access to technology and not have it hoarded by the wealthy. To do that, raw material needs to be inexpensive. It is a dangerous balancing act to be sure.